Big Tobacco's Lethal and Unjust Targeting
The tobacco industry uses predatory and relentless tactics to attract new customers and keep people addicted. Big Tobacco continues to use powerful marketing tactics to segment people based on their race, gender and sexual orientation.
In particular, the tobacco industry has used menthol flavors and marketing to segment and target certain customers, especially Black Americans, youth and LGBTQIA2S+ communities (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirit).
In the Black Community
For decades, tobacco companies have targeted Black communities with menthol tobacco products and marketing.
As a result of that targeting, today 88% of Black people who smoke vs. 31% of white people who smoke use menthols.
Institutional racism plays a part in these ongoing disparities: despite overwhelming evidence of this targeting, the FDA excluded menthol products from the 2009 federal law that took other flavored cigarettes off the market
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities—A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2024.
In the American Indian Community
Smoking is an epidemic-level health problem in Minnesota's tribal communities. The cigarette smoking rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives in Minnesota is 31.3%.
Unfortunately, these disparities start young. The 2023 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey found that over a quarter (27.3%) of American Indian students were current commercial tobacco users.
For generations, the commercial tobacco industry has corrupted Native tobacco practices and has exploited Native images and beliefs in advertisements.
Minnesota Department of Health, 2024 Minnesota Adult Commercial Tobacco Data.
Helgertz SR. Teens and Commercial Tobacco in Minnesota: Highlights from the 2023 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey: Minnesota Center for Health Statistics, Minnesota Department of Health, May 2024.
D'Silva J, O'Gara E, Villaluz NT Tobacco industry misappropriation of American Indian culture and traditional tobacco. Tobacco Control 2018;27:e57-e64.
In the LGBTQIA2S+ Community
The tobacco industry has shamefully targeted the LGBTQIA2S+ community, including with the infamous "Project SCUM" marketing program.
Nationally, over half of of lesbian, gay and bisexual smokers use menthol cigarettes.
RJ Reynolds. Project SCUM. December 12, 1995.
Delnevo, CD, et al., "Banning Menthol Cigarettes: A Social Justice Issue Long Overdue," Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 22(10): 1673-1675, 2020.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities—A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2024.
Targeting Other Communities
Tobacco industry documents reveal that Big Tobacco has engaged in decades-long segmentation and targeting of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander immigrants in the U.S.
Black youth have higher rates of cigar smoking than their white counterparts, thanks to Big Tobacco's marketing.
Big Tobacco targeted AAPI communities, taking advantage of their unique countries of origin and cultural norms, high levels of business ownership, and other attributes.
Flavored hookah products are also targeted at youth. Hookah use is not unique to any community or culture and is becoming increasingly common among young people from many different backgrounds.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities—A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2024.
Acevedo-Garcia D, Barbeau E, Bishop JA, Pan J, Emmons KM. Undoing an epidemiological paradox: the tobacco industry's targeting of US Immigrants. Am J Public Health. 2004;94(12):2188-2193. doi:10.2105/ajph.94.12.2188
Muggli ME, Pollay RW, Lew R, Joseph AM. Targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by the tobacco industry: results from the Minnesota Tobacco Document Depository. Tobacco Control
Momenabadi, V., Hossein Kaveh PhD, M., Hashemi, S. Y., & Borhaninejad, V. R. (2016). Factors Affecting Hookah Smoking Trend in the Society: A Review Article. Addiction & health, 8(2), 123-135.
Targeting Teens
Why is Big Tobacco so obsessed with hooking teens? Here's why: if teens never start smoking, they probably never will. Nearly all smokers (about 95%) start by the time they're 21. Big Tobacco knows this and uses the same tactics they used for smoking to hook kids on vaping and nicotine pouches, including kid-friendly flavors and viral marketing.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2014. Analysis by the American Lung Association.
